Government investigates a suspected case of mad cow in Brazil

On Monday, the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture said there is a suspected case of mad cow disease in the country without detailing the allegedly infected animal’s location.

In a brief statement published on the website, the folder said that all measures are being taken and that the suspected case was subjected to laboratory examination.

“The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA) informs that, regarding the suspected case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease), all measures are being taken by the government. The suspicion has been submitted to laboratory analysis for confirmation or not, and, after the result, the appropriate actions will be immediately applied”, the statement said.

The press media stated that the suspected case was in the state of Pará, where an eight-year-old animal was found dead.

The counter-test on the animal has been sent to Canada, and the result should come out in the next few days.

The confirmation of a case of mad cow in the country can have repercussions for Brazilian exports, especially to China, the biggest buyer of Brazilian beef.

This is because the two countries signed a protocol in 2015 establishing an embargo on exports to the Asian country when a new disease occurrence is identified in Brazil.

In 2021, China even suspended the purchase of beef from Brazil for a few months after confirming two atypical cases of the disease in Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso.

Saudi Arabia also suspended purchases temporarily.

The case is considered atypical when the disease appears spontaneously in older animals, without risk to production, according to the protocol of the International Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

With information from Revista Oeste

More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.